44 MUSHROOMS. 



to testing tlie state of the manure. If the latter is fairly 

 moist, then wait patiently another fortnight, and unless the 

 weather is very cold mushrooms most probably will be 

 coming up very thickly in all directions. On the. other hand, 

 if the bed is found to be very dry, give one or two gentle 

 waterings, as advised in the case of ridge-shaped beds, mulch 

 with fresh strawy litter, and await results. 



A lack of patience has been the cause of many failures. 

 For instance, beds spawned late in October or early in 

 November may fail to produce mushrooms before Februaij 

 or March. We have had exceptionally heavy crops from 

 late-spawned beds that were not watered or forced in any 

 way, and which were badly frosted during the winter. 



CHAPTER XI. 



USEFUL DATA. 



The following interesting items of information may be use- 

 ful to mushroom growers : 



Gathering: Mushrooms. — It may, perhaps, be 

 thought that no advice can be needed as to the gathering of 

 the crops. "Any fool could do that simple job," will be the 

 mental ejaculation, and so he or she could, but more depends 

 upon the removal of mushrooms being done properly than 

 the novice is aware of. In the first place, they must not be 

 cut off. The old stumps, if left in the bed, are a source of 

 danger to the rest of the crop, as they decay quickly, and 

 the mould spreads from them in all directions, this effec- 

 tually killing all young mushrooms it comes into contact 

 with. Solitary mushrooms ought, then, to be pulled cleanly 

 out of the bed, while in the case of clumps the more forward 



